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Former F1 world champion Jenson Button has jumped to the defence of the sport’s under-fire race director Michael Masi, insisting contact between officials and teams should not come as a surprise because it happens frequently.
Masi’s future hangs in the balance following the controversial ending to last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which handed Red Bull driver Max Verstappen the world title on the final lap.
After a crunch meeting of the sport’s major players over Masi’s future on Monday, F1’s governing body issued an inconclusive 46-word statement following a four-hour summit in central London.
Former F1 world champion Jenson Button has jumped to the defence of Michael Masi
Masi’s future is in the balance after the controversial end to last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
In the final stages of the race on December 12, Masi ordered only the lapped cars between Lewis Hamilton and second-placed Verstappen through, providing the Dutchman, on fresh tyres, a shot at passing Hamilton – who was on old rubber – when the safety car departed.
The decision came after interventions from Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who put pressure on Masi to release the backmarkers.
And Button, who won the 2009 F1 world title with Brawn, believes that Masi should not be accused of giving in to Red Bull’s protests because conversations between teams and race officials are commonplace on race day.
He told Sky Sports News: ‘I think when you hear that (Red Bull’s interaction with Masi) on its own, you think it sounds bad and it sounds like they’re manipulating the race director.
‘But it’s very, very different than that. Every team speaks to Michael Masi and puts their point across, they always do.
‘If you listen earlier in the race, Toto Wolff was also saying: “We don’t want a safety car here, we want a virtual safety car”, and things like that.
The race director made dramatic and controversial calls at the end of…
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Source : dailymail
